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| Semester | fall semester 2020 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Christian Hänggi (christian.haenggi@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel "Gravity's Rainbow" is one of the major works of literature of the twentieth century, equally famous and infamous, and in ambition and impenetrability on a par with works like James Joyce's "Ulysses" or Ezra Pound's "Cantos". Hailed as a founding text of literary postmodernism, it is considered notoriously difficult and many are the readers who did not get past the first hundred pages, much as they enjoyed them. Despite its dark backdrop in the context of World War II, it is, however, also hilariously funny, light-hearted, and absurd. On the one hand, this seminar wants to help its participants get through this tome of postmodernism and shed light on some of the intricacies that might be overlooked on a first reading. On the other hand, it also wants to introduce students to some of the cultural and historical references as well as works of art that were inspired by Pynchon's seminal novel. Students are expected to read about 70 pages each week. |
| Bibliography | Mandatory: Pynchon, Thomas. "Gravity's Rainbow". 1973. Any edition (cross-references for page numbers of different editions are available). Recommended: Weisenburger, Steven C. "A Gravity's Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon's Novel". 2nd Edition. University of Georgia Press, 2006. Pynchon Wiki: "Gravity's Rainbow". https://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ |
| Comments | ________________________________ Lehrveranstaltung mit Maskentragpflicht ________________________________ |
| Admission requirements | Open only to MA and PhD students. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, optional |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul: Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Kulturtechnische Dimensionen (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Research in Anglophone Literary and Cultural Studies (Master's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |